Just another hunting lodge

We entered the castle through a big courtyard. The Frederiksborg Castle began as a hunting lodge in about 1560 but King Christian IV remodeled the lodge and turned it into a hunter's dream castle. Here Kings and princes could gather during hunting season to "vacation like kings."

Our tour of the castle began in this long King's den. It is surrounded with old chests, armor, and these beautiful three dimensional murals of deer with real antlers.

King Christian is in the left top corner surrounded by copies of the costumes that have been recreated to match the original paintings they have of the king and his family. This "rustic" hunter's lodge is filled with fine chandeliers, silk tapestries, inlaid oriental tables and chairs, stained glass windows, and jewels worn by the Finest Dane Royalty.

This is a grand hall, like a huge ballroom. It is dripping with gold and colorful paintings from floor to ceiling. The black structure on the left looks like a place where an orchestra would perform during a royal ball.

There are birds and mammals of every kind painted on the ceiling. There are paintings of farmers, hunter, builders, fishermen, and all kinds of occupations painted on the walls between each window. The floor is designed like a giant patchwork quilt made of the finest marble. The Danish royalty still hangs modern full size portraits here of their families.

Pretty nice for a hunting lodge, don't you think?

Here is a soft silky sitting room. In the cupboards of this room are the finest pieces of old Danish Copenhagen plates and saucers. This is a very feminine room. I think the King loved (or hated) women. He had at least 26 children, "legitimate and illigitimate", put his wife away for years because she had an affair with a soldier in his army, and lived openly with his mistress for the rest of his life. He ruled both Denmark and Norway for 60 years.